Multiculturalism Education Effect on the Police Force

Effect of Multiculturalism Education on the Police Force
Cultural issues affect law enforcement more than most government workers. Every day, the police come into contact with several people from practically every culture in the areas they police. This reality creates a need for policemen and women to understand the dynamics of multiculturalism. Indeed, the success of community policing depends significantly on how law enforcement relates to people of different cultures (Hendricks and Byers, 2000). An interesting dynamic when it comes to community policing is that the power law enforcement has can make them an oppressor or a friend of the community based solely on the optics of their operations. This makes multicultural education quite important to the police (Hennessy, n.d).
When designing a multicultural curriculum for a police department, it should be specifically tailored to the community being impacted and the police department in question. Carl Jung (1974) theorized on various dominant cognitive functions that can help in the development of such curricula. Jung held the belief that people act and differ based on physical functions. The differences are reflected in differences in personality. Police officers, for instance, tend to be decisive, impersonal, direct, cold, logical, and pragmatic (Hennessy, 1998). When working in a multicultural setting, being cold and impersonal may work against a police officer. Rather, they should be empathetic and try to listen to arguments that may go against what they currently believe in. Making such small changes to how law enforcement operates can be very useful in helping them develop a better relationship with members of the communities they police. This is one of the reasons why multicultural education is very important (Wilkins, 1996).
Understanding the place of communication in human interactions as well as the different value systems of various cultures can help law enforcement be more effective in their dealings with the public. The most effective forces are those that are able to engage with members of the community freely. Likewise, the best multicultural courses for police officers are those education courses that stress the importance of open communication between law enforcement and local communities (Hennessy, n.d).


References
Hendricks, J. E., & Byers, B. (2000). Multicultural perspectives in criminal justice and cultural awareness training for police in the United States criminology (2nd ed.). Springfield, Illinois: Charles Thomas publisher, ltd.
Hennessy, S.M. (1998). Thinking cop- feeling cop: A study in police personalities (3rd ed.). Gainesville, Florida, Center for the Application of Psychological Type.
Hennessy, S. M. (n.d). Cultural awareness training for police in the United States: A look at effective methodologies. Retrieved from http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@civilrights/documents/webcontent/wcms1p-149102.pdf
Jung, C.G. (1974). Psychological types. (R.F.C. Hull Translation.) Zurich. Rascher Verlag. (Original work published in 1921).
Wilkins, D.F. (1996). Are we using the wrong teaching method in our criminal justice classes? Journal of criminal justice education, 7(1).